🌱 Limetree Bidder In Hot Water + New Data On Vaccine & Pregnancy

I'm kicking today off with the latest at Limetree. The new owners might not end up owning anything. And COVID-19 rages on with active cases surging past 3,000. But there's good news if you're pregnant and vaccinated or considering the vaccine.

Here's what I'm reading in the news and on social:

1. The company that ultimately bought Limetree Bay Refinery may already be in hot water. Quick recap: Jamaica-based West Indies Petroleum was the top bidder at a second bankruptcy auction held on December 18th. They outbid St. Croix Energy Group, who previously won in an earlier auction. The deal was confirmed and everyone was on board with the new owners. But on December 21, West Indies Petroleum CEO admitted to the court that his company didn't actually have the $30 million cash on hand to complete the purchase. There's more: West Indian Petroleum was only worth about $8 million in December 2020, has low margins, has multiple loan defaults on their books and might not be able to finance the $60 million needed to complete the purchase of the refinery. The company is also in trouble with the government back in Jamaica. The Consortium has the full story and it is absolutely worth reading.
2. Two USVI women are charged with fraudulent use of a credit card after spending $800 at Walmart & Fashion Nova. Full story on AllAhWe TV.
3. Tracking COVID-19: there are 3,308 active cases in the territory as of January 6. The majority of cases are split between St. Croix (1,571) and St. Thomas (1,532) though there are 205 cases on St. John. The positivity rate for the territory is 26.2%.
4. And in other COVID-news, a study confirms that women who are vaccinated against Covid-19 while pregnant face no increased risk of delivering their babies prematurely or of giving birth to smaller babies. The New York Times breaks down the study and the data.

From our sponsor:

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Today's weather: Mostly sunny and nice. High: 84 Low: 76.

And catch the weekend weather forecast on Patch USVI.

Today's Events:

• A meet-up at E's Garden Teahouse and Things in Charlotte Amalie - 4:30 p.m.
• Catch Mercy Child playing at The Landing Beach bar in St. Croix - 5:30 p.m.
• Friday Movie Nights at Leatherback Brewing in St. Thomas - 6:00 p.m.

Social Highlights:

• And this is why you shouldn't do drugs! St. Croix - Three Men Charged with Possession of Stolen Property (Facebook via AllAhWe TV)
• Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Odyssey of the Seas made her maiden voyage to the U.S. Virgin Islands today... (Facebook)
• New Year... New Job? Check out the VI Port Authority Career Portal at www.viport.com (Facebook)

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— Ashleigh Baldwin

About me: I'm the Patch Community News Editor for the U.S. Virgin Islands. I'm here to provide news you can use. Do you have a news tip, question or feedback? Please contact me at ashleigh.baldwin@patch.com.